February 2015

American Girl Dolls; every little girl’s love. Well, maybe not every little girl’s love, but definitely mine! And! We have the “fortunate luck” to live within minutes of a giant American Girl Doll Store!

However, when Christmas came along with the the American Girl Doll catalog, I just knew that the whole thing would be full of circled items. I was not mistaken! With “the sky’s the limit” wishful thinking coupled with sky high pricing, it was hard to pair down the Christmas list.

This was a call grandpa and some DIY!

DIY American Girl Doll Wardrobe

On the top of the list (coming in at around $300) was the Isabelle Wardrobe. It did not come as a surprise to me as she had recently received Isabelle as a birthday gift (in October). However, at that price, it would be all she would receive for Christmas. So, I started my Pinterest hunt for the perfect DIY American Girl Doll Wardrobe. I didn’t have to search for long, because I found a cute design with plans and everything right here!

I enlisted my father (whom is lovingly called Baba) to help with the word-working, and I sanded, primed, and painted. With the suggested Target washer and dryer set (an additional cost), the wardrobe was complete! The finished product ended up costing less than $50 and was more than we could have dreamed.

It is now the last day of Kid’s Clothes Week, and I have accomplished 3 out of 4 intended projects. I’m going to take that as a win!

This last project includes my two girls: Cadence and Winifred Rose. Winnie is one of my kids too, right?! I couldn’t help including her in this wonderful theme: Upcycled!

After finishing a simple skirt for Cadence, from a Tory Burch Tank Top that no longer fit me, I had plenty of fabric left to make…..something! I thought about it, and decided to make a matching sweater for Winnie! How cute would that be!

How to Sew a Dog Sweater

NEED:

1/4 yard fabric of choice (mine is knit)

1/4 yerd fleece (contrasting color)

4 inches of velcro

PATTERN:

Neck Measurement (where the color would go plus 1 inch)

Chest Measurement (largest Part

Tip to Tail Measurement (from neck to bottom)

*Winnie’s measurements are: 10 X 12.5 X 10

From there, simply draw a rough oval with the given measurements (adding an inch on all sides for seam allowance), and leaving a small flap on the side for the Velcro. Cut out the neck (about 2 inches in a half circle shape (with enough room on either side for Velcro strips.

Sew right sides together, leaving a small opening to turn right side out. Once turned, sew shut and attach the Velcro. Wallah! And that is how to sew a dog sweater in its simplest form. I have a feeling I will be making many more!

Upcylced Skirt

The skirt turned out nicely too. For a simple skirt tutorial see here.

Now, Cadence and Winifred can go out in style!

Check out my other blog posts here!

Kid’s Clothes Week Day 4: Floral Pants To finish up Kid’s Clothes Week: Wild Things, we decided to make a pair of skinny jeans: wild flower style. Floral pants have been all the rage lately showing up in magazines, in stores, on Pinterest, and in the streets! It was only a matter of time before […]

Kid’s Clothes Week: Wild Things I love Kid’s Clothes Week! This season’s theme: Wild Things sparked my attention early on. There are just so many possibilities! However, when my rapidly growing up almost 9 year old announced she was “too old for animal faces on her clothes”, I was stumped. I wanted something cutsie! She wanted something trendy. […]

Kid’s Clothes Week: Day 2

This seasons theme: Upcycled, from Kid’s Clothes Week, is a pretty exciting theme. The process of going through my closet brought immense joy to Cadence, who found out that she can nearly fit my high heels! She was beside herself with glee upon the realization, and was in love with the idea of making something of mine into something for her.

The best part is, we were able to include not 2, but 3 generations in the mix! Cadence’s mimmi, my mother-in-law, gave me a beautiful, Juicy Couture chain link dress of hers a couple years ago. However, it was a little too short for comfort, so it was an obvious choice for our projects: a hand-me-down to a daughter-in-law to a granddaughter. With a few alterations, I created a much smaller version of the original. A very sophisticated dress for an 8 year old, I might add.

Juicy Couture Chain Link Dress

The original dress is shown below, and we decided to keep the same shape, just a smaller version.

Upcylced

The upcycled Juicy Couture Chain Link Dress was more than we hoped for! Cadence was in heaven being able to look and dress like her mimmie! We opted to sew the tag back in place to preserve the look. What a fun project!